Álvaro Carreras joins Benfica!

STATEMENTS TO BTV

Álvaro Carreras, 20, is a new addition to the professional football team of Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The Spanish left-back joins the club from Manchester United on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy.

Speaking to BTV, the new owner of the Glorioso number 3 jersey expressed his enthusiasm for what he says is a big step in his career.

"It's a step forward, I'm very grateful for the confidence and I want to get started right away", said the Spanish Under-21 international, giving an account of his expectations for his time in Luz and leaving a promise to the Benfica fans: "I want to give my all, help out and achieve all the goals. My ambition is to be able to achieve the team's goals and also the individual ones. I promise to give everything on the pitch to achieve them."

The new signing's first impressions of the club couldn't have been more positive, highlighting its greatness and the strength of its fans. "Benfica is a giant club, with incredible fans, and I'm very keen to start playing here right away," he said.

Revealing that Brazilian international Marcelo, whom he met at Real Madrid, is a great reference point in the position, Álvaro Carreras believes that the minutes he has played for Granada in La Liga in the first half of this season could help him adapt to his new surroundings. "I think so. The months I had in La Liga weren't perfect because I suffered, but they helped me a lot," he added.

THE CAREER OF GLORIOUS'S NEW "3"

Born in Ferrol, Galicia, on March 23, 2003, Álvaro Carreras first touched the ball at local club Racing, and then played for Deportivo La Coruña youth teamsfrom 2012 to 2017, when he joined Real Madrid at the age of 14.

The left-back was part of the Merengues' Under-15 and Under-17 teams, and his performances caught the eye of Manchester United, who offered him a four-year contract in September 2020. At Old Trafford, the Spaniard developed mainly in the Under-23 team and was called up by coach Ralf Rangnick to the Red Devils' first team for the last four games of the 2021/22 edition of the Premier League. At the end of that season, Álvaro Carreras was voted the club's best U23 player.

In 2022/23, he was loaned out to Preston North End, where he made six assists in 42 games, and last summer he left again to gain experience, this time for Granada. For the Andalusian side, the left-back made 14 appearances in the first half of the 2023/24 season, before ending his spell with the La Liga club and moving to the Estádio da Luz.

This season, on September 8, 2023, the Benfica new signing made his debut for the Spain U-21 team with an assist in the 0-6 win over Malta, and since then he has been aThis season, on September 8, 2023, the Benfica forward made his debut for the Spain U-21 team with an assist in the 0-6 win over Malta, and since then he has been a regular option for coach Santi Denia at that level.